MPs to finish drafting bills to amend Myanmar’s constitution

Legislation marks milestone in Aung San Suu Kyi’s bid to chip away military’s power.

Lawmakers are expected on Monday to finish drafting two bills to amend Myanmar’s constitution, a milestone in State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s efforts to wrest power from the military.

The bills will be officially completed at an all-party meeting hosted by the committee tasked with suggesting the changes, said committee secretary Myat Nyana Soe.

“All the ethnic parties will attend the meeting... They have let us know they will attend,” he said.

One of the bills contains changes that can be decided on by a vote in parliament, while the second must also be approved in a public referendum.

Both bills will be submitted for debate to parliament when it resumes on January 27. The parliament will make decisions on the bills along with the amendment bills submitted separately by the military and USDP MPs.

The Tatmadaw and the USDP last year submitted five bills with their own ideas for changes to the charter, in a direct challenge to the authority of the amendment committee. They will be voted on along with the two main bills.

Without support from the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, which has a large majority in both houses, the military-backed bills are doomed.

But the NLD also needs support from unelected military MPs who hold a quarter of seats for its changes to win the 75 percent of votes they need.

The exact changes proposed in the bills have not been made public, but the NLD has been pushing to gradually remove military MPs from parliament over several election cycles.

Aung San Suu Kyi is, in practice, appealing to the generals to voluntarily forfeit their ability to block changes to the charter they wrote in 2008.

The constitution guarantees the military sweeping political powers, including control of the home affairs, border affairs and defence ministries.

Tatmadaw and ethnic MPs, who make up eighteen of the 40 committee members, failed to attend a January-13 meeting to finalise the bills, sparking speculation that they were protesting over not being granted enough influence in the panel.

Myat Nyana Soe says he is hopeful all MPs will attend Monday’s meeting.

The bills need signatures from 20 percent of MPs across both houses in order to proceed to debate, a hurdle the NLD can easily clear with its parliamentary majority.

The committee plans to collect signatures from MPs on January 23 before parliament resumes, Dr Myat Nyana Soe said.

The Tatmadaw has not confirmed whether it will support the two bills, but it does not oppose the process in principle, lieutenant colonel Myo Htet Win told Myanmar Now.

“They can sign it themselves. I think they will do that. They haven’t informed us yet,” he said, referring to the NLD.

Tatmadaw MPs will attend Monday’s meeting if all the ethnic parties attend, he added.

One ethnic party MP who failed to attend the January-13 meeting, Naing Thiha of the Mon National Party, said he was merely busy with his duties and was not expressing opposition to the amendment process.

“I have no plans to disagree with it,” he told Myanmar Now. Myanmar Now was unable to contact other MPs who were absent from the meeting.

Those arrested include a BBC reporter and a former Mizzima correspondent. 

Published on Mar 19, 2021
Photojournalists take cover near the entrance of a monastery where military supporters gathered to attack protesters and media in Yangon on February 18 (EPA-EFE/LYNN BO BO)

A BBC journalist and a former Mizzima News reporter were arrested by men believed to be plainclothes officers in Naypyitaw on Friday afternoon, a family member confirmed.

BBC Burmese journalist Aung Thura was in front of the Dekkhina District court to report on a hearing for National League for Democracy patron Win Htein when he was arrested. Former Mizzima correspondent Than Htike Aung was with him at the time of the arrest.

No further details of the arrest or the reporters’ detention were known at the time of reporting, according to Aung Thura’s relative. 

“I saw some plainclothes officers dragging away a person in trousers into a car,” lawyer Min Min Soe, who was near the court at the time, told Myanmar Now. The man she saw is believed to be Than Htike Aung.  

“Two other officers in plainclothes were hassling another individual in a paso [traditional sarong for men] and glasses,” she said, referring to Aung Thura. “It was quite a scene so I don’t know what happened next.”

BBC News issued a statement on Friday afternoon saying that they are "doing everything [they] can" to find Aung Thura, who they described as being taken away by unidentified men.

“We call on the authorities to help locate him and confirm that he is safe,” the statement said.

As of March 16, a total of 38 journalists had been arrested or targeted for arrest since the February 1 coup. The latest arrests of the BBC and former Mizzima journalists push this number up to 40.  

Only 22 of these reporters have been released. Ten journalists have been charged with violating Section 505(a) of the penal code, which has been used against people who are seen as causing fear, spreading fake news, or agitating government employees. Under recent amendments to the law, the charges come with a three-year prison sentence if convicted.

Online news website The Irrawaddy has also been charged by the junta as violating the same statute for showing “disregard” for the armed forces in their reporting of the ongoing anti-regime protests.

Five publications, including Myanmar Now and Mizzima had their offices raided and their publishing licenses revoked earlier this month by the regime.

Editor's note: This story was updated to include the BBC's statement, which was not available at the original time of publishing.

 

Myanmar Now is an independent news service providing free, accurate and unbiased news to the people of Myanmar in Burmese and English.

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The offensives come in the wake of deadly crackdowns against anti-coup protesters in Myitkyina 

Published on Mar 18, 2021
A KIA soldier watches from an outpost in Kachin state in this undated file photo (Kachinwave) 

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) launched attacks against police bases in the jade mining region of Hpakant on Thursday morning, a local resident told Myanmar Now. 

The attacks targeted police battalions where soldiers were stationed near Nam Maw village in the Seik Muu village tract.

“There are Myanmar police battalions around Nam Maw,” a resident said. At least three bases were attacked, he added. 

A 41-year-old civilian in Seik Muu village injured his left hand during the clash, the Kachin-based Myitkyina News Journal reported.

The KIA has launched several offensives against the coup regime’s forces recently. Fighting has also been reported in Mogaung and Injangyang this month. 

Some 200 people fled the Injangyang villages of Gway Htaung and Tan Baung Yan on Monday after the KIA launched an offensive against the military there. 

The offenses began in the wake of deadly crackdowns against anti-coup protesters in Myitkyina. The KIA has warned the junta not to harm anti-coup protesters. 

 

Myanmar Now is an independent news service providing free, accurate and unbiased news to the people of Myanmar in Burmese and English.

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The coup regime’s forces took the injured people away and locals do not know their whereabouts 

Published on Mar 18, 2021
Kalay residents move the body of a man who was shot dead on Wednesday (Supplied) 

Four young men were killed and five people were injured in the town of Kalay in Sagaing region on Wednesday as protesters continued their fight to topple the regime despite daily massacres across the country aimed at terrorizing them into submission. 

The Tahan Protest Group gathered in the town at around 10am and police and soldiers began shooting. One young man was shot dead on the spot as he tried to help people who were trapped amid gunfire, residents told Myanmar Now.   

The regime’s forces also shot at and chased fleeing protesters along roads and through narrow alleys, a resident said.

“The crowd of protesters dispersed but one person was shot dead while trying to rescue those trapped in the protest site,” the resident added. 

As the crowd dispersed, a man riding a motorcycle was shot outside a branch of KBZ Bank. “He also died,” the resident said. 

Despite the murders, protesters gathered again in the afternoon around 4pm. Police and soldiers started shooting again and killed two people. 

“They were shot dead while trying to set up barricades at the protest site. They were shot while trying to obstruct the army’s way as the army troops chased and shot the trapped protestors,” the resident said. 

The two who were killed in the morning were identified as Salai Kyong Lian Kye O, who was 25, and Kyin Khant Man, who was 27 and had three children. The identities of the other two have not yet been confirmed.

Five people were also injured and then taken away. Locals said they did not know where they had been taken.   

 

Myanmar Now is an independent news service providing free, accurate and unbiased news to the people of Myanmar in Burmese and English.

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